Safety-envelop.



C. MILLER.

SAFETY ENVELOP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1915,

C- IVMLLER COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM co.. wAsHxNGToN, n. s.,

C. MILLER.

SAFETY ENVELOP.

APPLacATloN FILED MAY 29. |915.

PatentedSept. 21, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

coLuMBlA PLANOURAPH cc.,WAsH|NGToN, D. c,

LN t TE@ STA CHRIST MILLER, OF WESTBROOK, MINNESOTA.

SAFETY-ENVELOP.

Application led May 29, 1915.

T0 all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, CHRIST MILLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at lrWestbrook, in the county of Cottonwood and ,State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Envelops, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to safety envelops, and particularly to that type wherein means is provided for preventing the unwarranted opening of the envelop through the action of steam without rendering such unlawful opening of the envelop apparent to the receiver.

A further object of the invention is the provision, in connection with an envelop, of means disposed entirely within the envelop when sealed which will indicate that the envelop has been subjected to steaming by be` ing torn away immediately that the sealing flap of the envelop is raised.

- @ther objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a rear vface view of an envelop constructed in accordance with my in` vention and showing in dotted lines the several flaps opened out; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through an envelop constructed in accordance with my invention when the latter is closed and sealed; Fig. 3 is ay fragmentary inside face view of a portion of an envelop showing the seals formed in one piece with the sealing piece; Fig. 4 is a view of another form of envelop, the blank therefor being shown as opened up in order to illustrate the construction of the envelop; Fig. 5 is a vertical section corresponding to the section in Fig. 2, but showing the en-` velop shown in Fig. 4 closed.

Referring to these figures, 2 designates the body or face of the envelop, 3 the back flap, 4 and 5 the end flaps, and 6 the closing ila Ihe body portion of the envelop has the usual rectangular shape, and the closing flap 6 has the regular shape, the closing flap being provided on its inner face along its margin with a layer of adhesive, designated 7. The back flap 3 has its outer margin cut on a rentrant angle, as at 8, and the side edges of this back flap, upon the inside faces,

are covered with a border of adhesive, des-- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

Serial No. 31,217.

ignated 9. The end flaps are approximately the same as end flaps ordinarily used on envelops, but the end flap 4 is formed upon its inner face at its extremity with a layer of adhesive designated 10, while the end flap 5 is formed at its extremity but upon its outer face with a layer of adhesive 11.

Both of the flaps 4 and 5,.adjacent their juncture with the body 2 and upon their outer faces, are provided with a coating of adhesive, designated 12. In initially form` ing the envelop the end flap 5 is first turned over upon the body portion, and then the end flap 4 is turned over upon the Hap 5, and the adhesive l0 is moistened so as to engage the extremities of the end flaps with each other. The back flap 3 is then turned over upon the end flap, the adhesive 9 being moistened, as is also the adhesive 12, and thus the back flap is held firmly to the end flaps. The envelop formed as so far described is in appearance substantially the same as any other envelop and may be made by the same machinery.

The vital part of my invention lies in the provision of a plurality of seals, designated 13, three of these seals being shown in the present instance. These seals are illustrated in Fig. 1 as applied to a strip of paper 14 which is pasted to the closing flap 6 and extends along the juncture of the closing flap 6 with the body 2. The upper edge of this strip 14 is curved and parallels the edge of the sealing flap, and this upper edge is provided withthe seals 13, these seals being relatively contracted at their juncture with strip 14 so as to be connected thereto by a relatively thin neck, thus making the .seals easily detachable in case the envelop is tampered with. The seals 13, upon their outer faces, are covered with adhesive, as at 15, and these coated faces of the seals, when moistened, are adapted to adhere to and engage with the inside faces of the end flaps 4 and 5.

' In the practical use of my invention, the inclosure is placed within the envelop in the usual manner. The faces of the seals are then moistened, the seals turned over upon the strip 14, in the position shown in Fig. 1, so that when the back flap is closed the moistened faces of the seals will engage with the end flaps.l Now if it is attempted to open the sealing flap, and it may be here pointed out that the end flaps extend over the back flap and the'sealing flap over the end flaps, the lifting of the sealing Hap will cause the seals 13 to part or separate from the strip 14:, which forms partof the sealing flap, at the contracted necks. Thereafter it is plainly evident to anybody who receives v the steam will loosenthe back iiap from the closing flap so that it may be opened, but upon the opening of this closing flap the seals will be broken. l

It will be obvious that my invention may be applied to various forms of envelops, and that the details may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. Thus the seals 13 might be made apart of the sealing flap instead of being attached to a separate strip 14. In Fig. 3 I have shown this construction, and in this figure the closing flap is formed on its margin with tabs, designated 13a. These tabs arefolded down upon the inner face of the closing flap and` v caused to adhere to the end flaps.- The tabs are deeper than the depth of the closing fiap so as to project below it, and the outer faces of the tabs are covered with adhesive 15a and used in the same manner as the. tabs 13.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I show another form of my invention which I regard as preferable in some respects to the form shown in Figs. 1 to 3 in that it is more diiiicult to open the envelop without detection. envelop consists of an outer sheet, designated generally A, andan inner sheet, designated generally B. The outer sheet comprises an integral front 16, a back flap 17, a closing flap 18, and the side iiaps 19 and 20. The lining B is disposed upon the side face of the envelop, and this lining is formed with a portion 20 which conforms to the front 16 of the envelop, a flap 21 which is caused to adhere to the inner face of the closing flap 18, anda flap. 22 which has a width equal to the width of the back flap 17 but which is not quite so deep as the back flap. The flap 21 is formed with the sealing tabs 23 which correspond to the sealing tabs 15 and 15au Vin Figs. 1 and 3. These sealing tabs are coated upon their outer faces with adhesive 24, and the sealing tabs are connected to the flap 21 by an eX- tremely narrow neck 25, as previously described. Y

The lining B is caused to adhere to the outer sheet A by means of a transversely eX- tending layer of adhesive, designated 26, disposed just above the fold of the back flap 17. The portion 22 of the lining is caused to adhere to the Vback flap by contacting adhesive covered surfaces 27 and28 provided upon the confronting faces of the lining and This form of back flap; As before stated, the flap 21 is caused to adhere to the flap 18. The inner face of the lining vB has an adhesive coating i as at29, along the margins of the portion 22 with which the inner margins ofthe flaps 19 and 20 are caused to adhere when these flaps are turned over one upon another. A

The outer face of the end fia-p 20 is pron vided 'with adhesive, as at 30, and when the flap 19 is turned over upon the flap 20 the overlapping en ds of the flaps are held together by this adhesive 30. The back flap, when closed to complete jthe envelop, is caused to adhere to the side flaps 19 and 2O by reason of the portion 22 of the lining being provided with adhesive, as at 31,V along each margin, and the middle of the lining is caused to adhere tothe outer faces of the side flaps by a coating of adhesive applied to the outer face of the flap 19, as: at 33.

l/Vhen the envelop shown in Fig. 4 yis completed, it provides an envelop having a double thickness, the thicknesses being glued to each other in al manner which will vprevent the easy opening of the envelop. Wheny the envelop is closed, the flaps 23 are inserted into the space between the liningB andthe member A, and the adhesive thereon is of course previously dampened so that f when the back flap is closed and these sealingl tabs .23 are so inserted' they will adhere closely to the walls of the back flap. Tn this case, if there is any attempt made to open the envelop by steaming or moistening' the I the flaps, the act of opening will cause the breakage of the tabs 23, which, as before stated, will show plainly that the envelop has been tampered with. The sealing tabsV 23 may be disposed inside of the inner face of the lining B when the envelop is closed, and thus still further prevent any chance of the tabs themselves being unsealed by moisture. i

Having thus described my invention, what Y said tabs being joined to the sealing Viiap'by relatively small readily frangible joining; Y

portions. Y

2. In an envelop, a body portion, 'end flaps,l a back flap and a sealing flap, the back flap closingover both ofthe end Haps',

the sealing flap being provided inward of'Y its free margin with a plurality of tabsconnected to the sealing flap byreadily frangi-A ble portions, these tabs being provided upon their outer faces with adhesive whereby said tabs may be caused to adhere to the back of the envelop when the sealing iiap is closed and thus indicating unauthorized opening of the sealing flap.

3. A safety envelop having an outer thickness formed with a body, a back Hap, end flaps and sealing flaps, and an inner lining comprising a body, a back flap and a sealing flap, the inner lining being secured with adhesive to the outer thickness, the inner lining being caused to adhere to the end flaps by adhesive applied at the bases of the end flaps upon the outer faces thereof, the space between the back Hap and the inner lining forming a pocket, the sealing flap formed upon the inner lining being less in depth than the sealing flap formed by the outer thickness and being provided with a plurality of sealing tabs coated with adhesive on one face and connected to the body portion of the flap by readily frangible necks, said flaps being insertible between the outer lining and the inner lining of the back flap and being caused to adhere thereto whereby to prevent the opening of the envelop without breaking the tabls.

ln testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. CHRIST MILLER. Vitnesses:

JosEPI-I BAUER, JNO. E. VILLs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

